The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

Fang Zheng smiled at Yue Buqun and gestured for him to enter.

Yue Buqun chuckled, then sat down as well. He looked at the dust on the ground around him, thought for a moment, and then waved his hand. A slight internal force rippled out and swept through the pavilion. Before long, not a speck of dust remained in the pavilion.

Fang Zheng's eyes flashed upon seeing this.

Although Yue Buqun seemed to have just waved his hand casually, he saw the dust on the ground being swept up by an invisible wind and scattered outside the pavilion.

"Master Yue's martial arts have improved recently, and I am ashamed to admit that I am no match for him."

Fang Zheng laughed.

Yue Buqun chuckled and shook his head: "Why does Master tease me? My meager skills are no match for yours."

"Sect Leader Yue is still too modest."

Fang Zheng seemed to be just joking, and then opened his own chess box, his eyes showing surprise.

"Oh, it seems this old monk is in luck; I'll be able to make my move before Sect Leader Yue."

Fang Zheng received a box full of black pieces, while Yue Buqun received a box full of white pieces.

Yue Buqun smiled and gestured for Fang Zheng to make his move.

Fang Zheng picked up a black chess piece, looked at the board, and seemed to be thinking about where to make his first move.

After a while, Fang Zheng made his move and asked, "I wonder what Sect Leader Yue's thoughts are on the Five Mountains Alliance Leaders Conference next June?"

Yue Buqun, who was about to make his move, paused for a moment after hearing Fang Zheng's words, and then made his move.

"Does Yue have any thoughts on this?"

Yue Buqun asked with a smile.

Fang Zheng then picked up another chess piece, looked at the chessboard with a thoughtful expression, as if he was pondering the game.

"Since the alliance leader failed to send a delegation this time, he will probably not let it go. I'm afraid he will cause trouble again at next year's alliance leader conference. Isn't Sect Leader Yue worried?"

Although Zuo Lengchan said yesterday that he was not interested in becoming the leader of the alliance, everyone ignored his words.

Fang Zheng understands Zuo Lengchan well; he won't passively accept the attack but will definitely strike first. He just doesn't know what Zuo Lengchan's next move will be, but he can at least be sure that next year's Alliance Leader Conference will be very exciting.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun smiled but said nothing, and picked up a white chess piece to place it.

Seeing his appearance, Fang Zheng said, "This old monk thinks that Sect Leader Yue could try to get the position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance."

"Oh?"

Yue Buqun raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Why would Abbot Fangye think that way?"

Fang Zheng spoke as if it were just a casual conversation between friends, saying, "Compared to Alliance Leader Zuo, Sect Leader Yue is kind-hearted and would not take any action to annex the other three sects, which is a good thing for the Taishan and Hengshan sects."

At this point, Fang Zheng sighed: "In fact, Shaolin most hopes that the various sects in the martial arts world can live in harmony and reduce conflicts and killings. However, if Alliance Leader Zuo wants to develop the Songshan Sect, he will have to take action against your sect and the other three sects. I see this but I cannot stop it."

"Now that we have the opportunity to re-elect the leader, I believe that Master Yue's martial arts skills are no weaker than those of Leader Zuo. Why not strive to win the position of leader at next year's Five Mountains Alliance Conference? This way, we can not only thwart Leader Zuo's ambition to annex our territory, but also return the position of leader of the Five Mountains Alliance to the Huashan Sect. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Fang Zheng's words and Tianmen Daoren's words were similar in meaning, except that Tianmen Daoren genuinely hoped that Yue Buqun would defeat Zuo Lengchan and become the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance, while it was hard to say how much sincerity and how much pretense Fang Zheng's words contained.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun lowered his eyes slightly, looked at the chessboard and pondered the situation, and then made his move after a moment.

"The Huashan Sect is small and weak now, and cannot withstand any more setbacks. I only hope to pass on the Huashan Sect. As for the position of Alliance Leader, I am not worthy enough. Let Brother Tianmen compete with Alliance Leader Zuo for it."

Fang Zheng frowned slightly as he looked at the chessboard, as if annoyed that the game was not going well for him. Then he began to play the game seriously.

After a while.

Fang Zheng released the chess piece, looked up at Yue Buqun, and smiled.

"Sect Leader Yue, you flatter me."

At this point, the board is entirely composed of black pieces.

……

"Amitabha, Young Master Jiang, what a coincidence."

Jiang Ning was taking a walk when he saw an old monk walking towards him.

"This humble monk, Fang Sheng, greets Young Hero Jiang."

Jiang Ning was also somewhat surprised. He had just come out for a casual stroll and encountered Fang Sheng, but he still bowed and said, "Junior Jiang Ning greets Master."

"hehe."

Fang Sheng smiled kindly and said to Jiang Ning, "Since this humble monk has met Young Hero Jiang, it can be considered fate. How about Young Hero Jiang take a walk with this humble monk? This old monk has just arrived at Mount Hua and does not know which scenery is better. I would be grateful if Young Hero Jiang could show this humble monk the scenery of Mount Hua."

Jiang Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled and said, "Please, Master."

Chapter 253: The True Martial Emperor

There are no chance encounters in the world without a reason; if there are, they must be carefully arranged.

Jiang Ning didn't know what Fang Sheng wanted from him, but he planned to play it by ear and see what Fang Sheng had to say.

"The master also came here when he climbed Mount Hua, so he must know that this section of the road is called Lao Jun Li Gou."

"Legend has it that a long time ago, Laozi passed by Mount Hua and saw that there was no way to get there. So he used his mount, the Green Ox, to pull out a pear ditch here, which is why this road was created for people to go up and down the mountain."

Along the way, Jiang Ning led Fang Sheng to visit the scenic spots of Mount Hua, explaining the stories behind these sights, just like a tour guide.

Fang Sheng nodded with a smile the whole way, and apart from occasionally asking questions about the attractions, he didn't say anything else.

Jiang Ning laughed and said, "Actually, this place was originally called Lao Jun Li Gou, the place where Lao Jun left the mortal world. However, because the terrain resembles a pear ditch, and there is a legend about the place where Lao Jun hung pears on Yuntai Peak, people in later generations called this place Lao Jun Li Gou."

Fang Sheng looked around the place, nodding occasionally after hearing Jiang Ning's words, and said, "So that's how it is. When I passed by here yesterday, I only thought it was steep and winding, but I never thought there would be such a story behind it."

Jiang Ning simply smiled, and after passing through this area, he took Fang Sheng to visit other places.

"Master, please look over there."

At this moment, Jiang Ning and Fang Sheng arrived at another place, and Jiang Ning pointed in a direction.

Upon hearing this, Fang Sheng looked in the direction indicated and saw a strange-looking stone, which immediately piqued his curiosity.

"Oh? This stone does look somewhat like a frog."

Fang Shengqi said.

The boulder he was looking at at that moment did indeed resemble a frog sitting on the ground.

"The master is right."

Jiang Ning smiled and nodded, saying, "This stone is also called the Frog Stone because it resembles a frog."

Fang Sheng laughed upon hearing this: "Could there be some story behind this stone?"

"good."

Jiang Ning nodded, then looked at the stone and slowly said, "Legend has it that a frog attained enlightenment and became a spirit. It came all the way to Mount Hua and settled here. Later, it transformed into human form and saw the gods being worshipped by the people in Huayang Palace. It became envious and wanted to be worshipped by the people as well. After hearing that a new temple had been built on Yuntai Peak, it wanted to become the god of the new temple."

"But in fact, this temple was built for the Zhenwu Emperor."

Listening to Jiang Ning recount the local stories and legends, Fang Sheng also became curious and asked, "And then what happened?"

Jiang Ning continued, "Later, the two generals under the command of the True Martial Emperor, the Turtle and the Snake, discovered the frog spirit's intentions during their patrol. They restored it to its original form, turning it into a stone frog that was forever fixed here."

After saying that, Jiang Ning turned to Fang Sheng and smiled, "However, this is just a legend. As for whether it is true or false, Master, just listen to it and treat it as a myth."

"I see."

Fang Sheng nodded, then looked at Jiang Ning and smiled, "I never expected that a stone frog would have such a legend. Benefactor Jiang is truly learned and talented. I admire you."

Jiang Ning chuckled and said, "I just grew up in Huashan and am familiar with these places. Moreover, this knowledge is just some miscellaneous knowledge, and I can't be considered erudite."

Fang Sheng just smiled, then looked at the stone frog again, his gaze seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he murmured, "I wonder if there really is a celestial realm in the world, and if there really is an art to achieve immortality?"

Ordinary people worship gods and believe in Buddha simply to pray for divine protection. However, monks and Taoist priests hope to ascend to heaven and be reborn in the Pure Land. Although countless legends of immortals have been heard over the centuries, no one has ever actually seen or heard of anyone who has truly ascended. Even the question of whether Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang Mountain, ascended to heaven a hundred years ago remains shrouded in mystery.

Although Fang Sheng had shaved his head and become a monk, his head was no longer white, but his white beard covered his face, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles. He was no longer young and was getting closer and closer to death.

Although it is said that monks should see through life and death, Fang Sheng does not seem to have let go.

Throughout history, countless kings and generals have pursued immortality, but who in this world has ever truly seen a god? And who has truly achieved immortality?

Hearing Fang Sheng's mutterings, Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Immortality is too unattainable for us mortals. Life is only a few decades long. Instead of pursuing that elusive immortality, why not think about how to make our short lives wonderful and meaningful?"

"If you're unhappy, even immortality is useless; if you're happy, even a short life is enough."

Although Jiang Ning himself came from another world, he didn't dwell too much on whether gods or immortality existed in the world; whether or not one could live forever was not important.

For him, life is meaningless, but as long as he lives, he can always find something meaningful.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's opinion, Fang Sheng turned to look at Jiang Ning and smiled, "Benefactor Jiang is not only highly skilled in martial arts at such a young age, but also very knowledgeable and magnanimous. I admire you greatly."

Jiang Ning shook his head and smiled, "This junior's opinion is shallow; please forgive my ignorance, Master."

After getting to know Jiang Ning, Fang Sheng genuinely admired this rising star. From martial arts skills to knowledge and character, he perfectly met the requirements of a sect for its successor.

Fang Sheng couldn't help but have an idea: to have Fang Zheng recruit Jiang Ning to Shaolin Temple and bring him under their wing.

Such an outstanding genius should have a connection with Buddhism.

After visiting the place, Jiang Ning and Fang Sheng left. Jiang Ning then took Fang Sheng to visit several other places, and finally they arrived at the Chess Pavilion.

"This is where Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, once played chess with the extraordinary man Chen Tuan. Legend has it..."

Jiang Ning was about to tell Fang Sheng the story of the Chess Pavilion when he stopped a second later and looked at the Chess Pavilion with surprise. He saw that there were two people playing chess in the Chess Pavilion, which had been deserted before.

Fang Sheng glanced at him, his eyes also showing surprise.

"Oh? My senior brother is playing chess with Sect Leader Yue?"

After discovering that Fang Zheng was playing chess with Yue Buqun, Jiang Ning and Fang Sheng also took off their kites and flew over to the chess pavilion. At this time, the game on the chessboard was also nearing its end.

Yue Buqun frowned as he looked at the chessboard, slowly stroking a white chess piece in his hand, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

At this point, the white pieces on the board are in trouble, surrounded by black pieces, and are desperately seeking a way to escape.

Yue Buqun seemed to be engrossed in thinking about the chess game and did not notice the arrival of Jiang Ning and Fang Sheng.

Fang Zheng showed a relaxed smile. He was not surprised to see Fang Sheng and Jiang Ning arrive. He did not speak, but continued to play chess with Yue Buqun.

After thinking for a long time, Yue Buqun finally couldn't help but smile bitterly, put down the white chess piece in his hand, looked up at Fang Zheng and said with a smile: "Abbot Master's chess skills are superb, I, Yue, am willing to admit defeat."